A project implemented by the World Health Organization and funded by the Korea International Cooperation Agency has pinpointed 20 healthcare facilities in Fiji that urgently require improvements.
Health Minister Dr. Ratu Atonio Lalabalavu made this announcement during the WHO’s Western Pacific Regional Meeting in Manila, Philippines, on Monday. He noted that the KOICA’s Strengthening Health Adaptation Project: Responding to Climate Change in Fiji (SHAPE project) identified these at-risk healthcare facilities.
Dr. Lalabalavu emphasized the need for infrastructural upgrades to ensure that these facilities can resist flooding, withstand extreme weather events, and maintain reliable back-up water supply systems to guarantee access to clean water during emergencies.
He expressed gratitude for WHO’s assistance in creating Fiji’s Primary Health Care Roadmap, which is expected to be finalized by the end of the year, as well as the ministry’s long-term Health Workforce Development Plan.
The Minister also extended an invitation to health partners and donor organizations to support Fiji in enhancing healthcare services and infrastructure.
Additionally, Dr. Lalabalavu held discussions with New Zealand’s Health Minister Shane Reti regarding Fiji’s ongoing efforts to address the non-communicable diseases (NCD) crisis, the increasing use of illicit drugs, the surge in new HIV cases, and the national response to the HIV crisis.